A mother and son strengthen their bond through a shared love of CrossFit. Hilary Achauer reports.

Barbara Pappas had always been healthy. Growing up in Germany, she ate a diet relatively free of processed food, and she kept in shape by jogging and taking leisurely bike rides, which she calls “biking with a basket.”

A Montessori teacher, Barbara filled her life with work and raising her sons. Then, in 2010, her 19-year-old son Nick discovered CrossFit. A wrestler and football player in high school, Nick was instantly addicted to CrossFit. Nick spent the summer reading through the CrossFit Journal and watching videos on CrossFit.com, eager to learn as much as possible. Nick got his Level 1 certificate in December 2010 and began coaching while pursuing his degree in kinesiology at Sonoma State University.

Nick told his mom about his newfound passion, but it wasn’t until early 2011 that Nick convinced his 51-year-old mother to try a class at CrossFit Valley of the Moon in Sonoma, Calif.

“I knew nothing,” Barbara said. “I didn’t know what a barbell was, what a deadlift was—it was all Russian to me.”

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